Ive read differing things and there appears to be somewhat of a hatred towards Tracy Scoggins character. Personally i really liked her and i felt Ivanova was getting old and rather boring anyway. Thoughts???

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This is my command. I'll do whatever's necessary. If that means turning the entire galaxy upside down and shaking its pockets to see what falls out, then that's what I'll do. I'm not subtle. I'm not pretty, and I'll piss off a lot of people along the way. But I'll get the job done.

When the show was first broadcast, I did have a distaste for Lochley because I liked Ivanova so much and Lochley felt too much of a replacement instead of a character on her own. But now, given time for the wound of Ivanova leaving to scar over, I've come to appreciate Lochley as a her own independent character. I do think that the season five telepath arc was definitely weakened by Ivanova's leaving, but I've tried to look at it the same way I look at the weakening of the Control personality arc that Takashima would have had.

Lochley never really bothered me or pleased me, but I definitely saw the need for her character. Sheridan needed someone he could trust and the other side in the Civil War could trust. If Ivanova had taken over running B5, it would have been as if B5 hadn't rejoined EarthForce at all.

When the show was first broadcast, I did have a distaste for Lochley because I liked Ivanova so much and Lochley felt too much of a replacement instead of a character on her own. But now, given time for the wound of Ivanova leaving to scar over, I've come to appreciate Lochley as a her own independent character. I do think that the season five telepath arc was definitely weakened by Ivanova's leaving, but I've tried to look at it the same way I look at the weakening of the Control personality arc that Takashima would have had.

Hmm thats as good a reason as any. But i never saw it this way as i saw crusade before any seasons of Babylon 5, in which lochley appeared a number of times so i liked the character from there on. Speaking of Laurel Takashima ive heard nothing of what happened to her character after the pilot film, what gives??? lol

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This is my command. I'll do whatever's necessary. If that means turning the entire galaxy upside down and shaking its pockets to see what falls out, then that's what I'll do. I'm not subtle. I'm not pretty, and I'll piss off a lot of people along the way. But I'll get the job done.

...Speaking of Laurel Takashima ive heard nothing of what happened to her character after the pilot film, what gives???

I don't know what jms considers to have fully happened to her character now, but originally, Takashima was going to be the character to have the PsiCorps's "Control" personality (that hidden personality that's revealed to be in Talia) implanted in her. It was under the Control personality that Takashima was going to have been the one to shoot Garibaldi in the back at the end of season one. Takashima was only going to be in the show for about two or so seasons and would eventually be replaced by Ivanova after Takashima was revealed as Control. Ivanova was going to be introduced before Takashima was revealed as Control in a sort of position that Lt. Corwin had on the show and to be promoted to Lt Commander when Takashima was revealed.

Ok, why didnt Takashima appear in season 1 then. Did the actress nt want the job after the pilot?? or was JMS dissatisfied with her??? or was she eaten by a Pak'Mara???

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This is my command. I'll do whatever's necessary. If that means turning the entire galaxy upside down and shaking its pockets to see what falls out, then that's what I'll do. I'm not subtle. I'm not pretty, and I'll piss off a lot of people along the way. But I'll get the job done.

Ok, why didnt Takashima appear in season 1 then. Did the actress nt want the job after the pilot?? or was JMS dissatisfied with her??? or was she eaten by a Pak'Mara???

According to Script Book #1:

Quote:

...Warner Bros. was not convinced of Tamyln's performance as a member of the military. The latter was the most frustrating to me because when we shot the pilot, she demonstrated those characteristics admiarble; but when WB saw the pilot they wanted her character softened, made more "relatable," so the insisted we have her re-voice her entire performance with a softer, and more (in their opinion) feminine tone. So you can imagine my frustration when, based on the finished film, they decided that her performance wasn't commanding enough, because it was just fine before they started messing with it.

Jan

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"You know, I used to think that life was terribly unfair. Then I thought, wouldn't it be much worse if life were fair? If all the terrible things that happen to us come because we actually deserve them? So now I take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe." ~~Marcus Cole

There was about a year between the production of The Gathering and the production of the series itself. Babylon 5 was sold as a part of a syndication package called PTEN along side other shows. Those other shows took ass-long amounts of time to get their production capability up to a level that would enable them to actually make a show on a weekly basis. Despite being ready to produce a series within months of finishing producing The Gathering, Babylon 5 had to sit and wait until those other shows were ready to go too since they were all part of a package of programs. Thus about a year passed. That amount of time passing triggered the expriation of the pick-up options in the actors' contracts, which means that the show had to renegotiate the contracts with the actors come time that they were given the go-ahead to start producing episodes of the show by WB. For various reasons I would assume, the actors playing Takashima, Lyta, Dr Kyle, and Carolyn were not able to arrive at a renegociated contract.

Speaking specifically about Tamlyn Tomita, she had eyes for a film career, not a television one, which is part of what jms has said made her an attractive actor for the Takashima role because it was designed as a role that would terminate in two years or so. But with the amount of time that passed between production of The Gathering and the series, I guess Tamlyn desided to just go ahead and move on from B5 then.

Ive read differing things and there appears to be somewhat of a hatred towards Tracy Scoggins character. Personally i really liked her and i felt Ivanova was getting old and rather boring anyway. Thoughts???

I voted "Hell no." but it's not necessarily because I miss Ivanova. It's because Ivanova would have been much, much better in the role of Babylon 5 commander. From the very beginning, I've thought that it was a terrible, TERRIBLE case of miscasting to have Tracy in this role. Tracy's striking (glaring) looks and physique, which there seems to be no way to soften, and her voice just do not fit, and distract from the stories, dominating every scene she's in. I can see her as a fitness instructor, a female bodybuilder, a saloon girl, a callgirl, a tramp, or the other woman, but not as the commander of Babylon 5.

I've got nothing against Tracy personally, but here she was simply miscast, and her acting skills cannot bridge the gap. With her looks, I'm not sure anybody's acting skills could bridge the gap.

Ivanova/CC could look buttoned-up and be the commander, but she could also put on that little black dress and go out to Fresh Aire. She could kick ass in a barfight or look drop dead gorgeous sitting at the bar. Her voice had more range (of sounds, frequencies, etc.), and could emote more. Her facial expressions can vary quite a bit. Ivanova/CC is more verastile. She's sort of like the Swiss Army Knife, and can cover a wide range of things.

Tracy looks buttoned up or casual, and her voice has one note and can only vary in volume. Tracy's like a pocket knife with one blade. You can't do as much with it. She can fit in the roles I mentioned above, but outside of those, she sticks out like a blinding white light is a black room.

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Mac Breck (KoshN)
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"Crusade" (1999) - "War Zone"
Max Eilerson: "The story of my life. I finally find a city like this, intact, deserted for ten thousand years. Probably contains hundreds of patents that I could exploit and I'm going to die. I can appreciate dramatic irony as much as the next person, but this is pushing it a bit."

I voted "Hell no." but it's not necessarily because I miss Ivanova. It's because Ivanova would have been much, much better in the role of Babylon 5 commander. From the very beginning, I've thought that it was a terrible, TERRIBLE case of miscasting to have Tracy in this role. Tracy's striking (glaring) looks and physique, which there seems to be no way to soften, and her voice just do not fit, and distract from the stories, dominating every scene she's in. I can see her as a fitness instructor, a female bodybuilder, a saloon girl, a callgirl, a tramp, or the other woman, but not as the commander of Babylon 5.

I've got nothing against Tracy personally, but here she was simply miscast, and her acting skills cannot bridge the gap. With her looks, I'm not sure anybody's acting skills could bridge the gap.

I agree. Tracy can plan the sexy girlfriend, which was her role in Crusade. The ruthless military commander is not.